The Comprehensive Guide to Fencing Shoes

Just what are the best fencing shoes?

What are the best shoes for fencing? Do you need to purchase high-end fencing shoes, or can you go with a budget model?

One of the most asked questions in the Fencing.Net forums seems to concern fencing shoes. Just what are the best shoes for fencing and what type of shoes should you get, should the top-end fencing shoes be out of your budget range?

First, keep in mind the dynamics of the sport. Fencing requires sudden changes of direction and the fencing lunge exerts a force of up to 7 times the fencers’ body-weight onto their leading heel.

When asked, fencers say they want shoes that are low to the ground and give them a good “feel” for the strip. Fencers also demand lateral stability in their shoes to accommodate the changes of direction.

Many epee and foil fencers also demand good cushioning at the ball of the foot due to the amount of bouncing that they do in setting up for points. (Just watch a few videos of high-level epee fencing for examples.)

Different fencers have some different (and competing) needs in fencing shoes. Before deciding on a pair, you need to know:

1. Budget
2. Age
3. Level of competition

Age and budget run hand in hand. Young kids are either going to destroy their shoes or outgrow them. You’ll have to look at the number of training hours and how had they are on their fencing shoes to gauge which model is going to be the best value.

The higher the level of competition, the better shoe you’ll want to buy – mainly for durability on metal strips and for better cushioning and traction at those national events. If you are purchasing fencing shoes for your child, keep in mind that you need to get the pair that are going to last the best for them and their training schedules. An 11 year old that trains 3 to 5 times per week and is traveling nationally is going to burn through the low end shoes, so they’ll need more than one pair per season.

How long should fencing shoes last?

Most shoes in other sports are targeted to last for a single competition season in that sport. It’s easy for seasonal sports like baseball for kids where you’ll be swapping out cleats each season as your kid’s feet grow.

In fencing, there are overalapping seasons between the youth, junior, and senior ranks and many kids compete across age groups, which muddles the lines between seasons. The top brands are targeting shoes that have the internal cushioning lasting 9 to 12 months.

For youth fencers with a moderate training schedule, the kids will outgrow even the basic shoes before wearing them out. Of course, some clubs have a more intense training schedule which will impact your shoe budget.

Durability on the outsoles of fencing shoes is highly variable depending on the level of activity and the fencing conditions in the fencer’s club.

A fencer who is training 2-3 hours 4 days per week plus local events and NACs will burn through a pair of shoes much faster than the fencer who trains 2 hours for 3 days per week and only goes to one tournament per month.

A fencer who has the more active training schedule should shy away from the “beginner” shoes: the AF Elite and MVPs as those will wear out quickly with a lot of training hours. Opt for something on the higher end for more durability.

Sizing Concerns for Fencing Shoes:

Another thing to keep in mind with fencing shoes is that they are made in men’s sizes only. This creates issues for the women in the sport since you’ll have to do some conversions to get from a women’s foot/shoe size to pick out the appropriate men’s size. This is mainly due to the size of fencing as a sport. We’re hoping that fencing gets large enough to get manufacturers to design female-specific shoes. Until then, it’s off to size conversions.

Most fencing shoes run on the narrow side. The various house-brand shoes, Pbt, and Adidas all run narrow, so they’re usually one size different. (A woman looking for a women’s 7 would order a men’s 6.) The Hi-Tec/Leon Paul and Nike shoes are a little wider, so that conversion is usually 1.5 sizes different (where our women’s 7 would get the men’s 5.5.)

The best thing is to try on the shoes, or order a couple of pair in different sizes and then returning the ones that don’t fit.

Here’s the rundown on some common models of fencing shoes:

Nike Air Fencing Shoe, AKA the Nike Ballestra:

Yes. Nike has a fencing shoe.

This is the fencing shoe of choice at the FdN offices. The first disclaimer is that we also sold a good number of them from our online store. The Nikes run at the top end of the fencing shoe price range and come in at $175. The shoes have a ton of research and design behind them and were launched with the 2008 Olympic Games.

The retail version of these shoes is in a white/gray/black model with some colors that were made available to NCAA collegiate teams.

The Nike shoes are currently tied with or slightly lighter than the most recent Adidas shoe, the D’Artagnan IV.

Adidas D’Artagnan IV

Adidas newest fencing shoe, launched in 2010, the D’Artagnan IV shoe looks like a bit of a Frankenstein. The back half is white and the forefoot is black. The inside edge of the shoe features the traditional leather layer (as opposed to the synthetic materials used by Nike) and Adidas has really worked on the weight of the shoe. This has been very popular, mainly due to the $115 – $125 price point in the market.

They’re not the most durable shoe, but it’s an Adidas shoe so there’s a lot of fencing knowledge there. They took their lumps from the D’Art 3 and delivered a much better shoe with the 4. (The D’Artagnan III was really a re-badged tennis shoe and did not hold up very well for fencers.)

Scimitar Fencing Shoe from Hi-Tec/Leon Paul

Leon Paul Scimitar

The Scimitar is the second shoe produced from the joint venture between Hi-Tec and Leon Paul. Hi-Tec is known for their indoor court shoes, and given the similarities in sports (see the section on non-fencing shoes below), the design team at Hi-Tec made a good fit for Leon Paul in helping to design and manufacture a good fencing shoe.

The Scimitar’s kept going where the Blades left off, adding additional protection against foot drag to the inside edge of the foot, offset laces, lighter weight, and anti-foot stick materials in the inside of the shoe.

The Scimitar runs wide and go for about $160.

Hi-Tec Blades

The Blades are the first model of fencing shoe from the Leon Paul/Hi-Tec venture. They are more durable than most of the Adidas shoes on the market and accommodate wide feet.

The Blades have a traditional centered lacing and solid upper. They’ll heat up a bit faster than some newer models of fencing shoe. The rubber sole is durable against metal strips, but also has good grip on wood floors. The sole also features a “stability bar” which helps in changing direction when you’re retreating fast and need to stop and go in the other direction.

The first round of these shoes had a harder rubber used in the soles than future models. The softer rubber being used now increases the grip for the Blades, but at the expense of making the shoes wear out a little bit faster. At $120, they’re a good upgrade from the entry level fencing shoes on the market.

Leon Paul has released an updated version of this shoe, the Blades II.

Adidas EnGarde:

Adidas answer to the budget fencing shoe. It’s a basic level fencing shoe and has a nostalgic look for those traditionalists out there. It gets you a brand name fencing shoe without the top-end hit to your wallet. Better uppers but a soft sole. Good if you’re going to be sticking to wood or court strips, but metal strips in use in the US will eat these up. Usually around $99 per pair.

Adidas Asymmetrics: The “holy grail” of fencing shoes.

No article on fencing shoes would be complete without mention of the legendary Adidas Equipment or “Asymmetric” fencing shoes. These were designed specifically for the asymmetric foot dynamics of fencing, with the front foot made with stronger heel strike and increased ankle flexibility but with the rear foot having increased material on the inner edge going up further to deal with excessive foot drag.

The inventory issues in dealing with fencing shoes for “left” and “right” handed models made this a short lived, but very successful shoe.

Budget Fencing Shoes:

These are the entry-level cheap fencing shoes. These are all under $100 and trying to get as close to the $50 price point as they can.

AF Elite II

AF Elite II Shoes

The <b?AF Elite II is the second round of fencing shoe from Absolute Fencing Gear. The NJ manufacturer offers this shoe all the way down to a size 3 to get into the kid’s market. The shoes run on the narrow / small side, so those with wide feet may need to order a half size up. These are basic, value shoes and will wear out after a season. Those who are hard on shoes or train an intense schedule will eat these up faster than once per season.

BG MVP Shoes

The MVP 3 are Blue Guantlet’s $69 Shoe

Blue Gauntlet is targeting the beginner and youth market with their MVP line of fencing shoes. There are three models ranging from $54 to $69 in price. We’ve not used them, but reports from the forums are that they hold up okay for a budget shoe. We’ll look for photos and reviews of this shoe at the next few NACs to update this article.

What are the best non-fencing shoes for fencing?

It’s tough when you have to shell out $120 – $175 every 9 months for new shoes. It’s worse when you’re one of those who are notoriously hard on shoes. For that reason, many fencers have turned to their local sporting goods store to find a decent shoe that meets the requirements to fencing and still provides a good value.

There are some types of shoes to look for and some to make sure to avoid.

The most popular shoes to use have been court shoes. These are shoes made for sports like raquetball, squash, and even volleyball. Those sports feature lots of lateral motion and lunging actions.

This means that they will be low to the ground and have cushioning set up for the heel strike (for your front foot) as well as the lateral stability for side to side motion (for your back foot).

Nike Indoor Volleyball Shoe

We had a fencer test this shoe out and she loved it. The gum soles are great for a wood floor fencing club and they held up reasonably well at NACs. The shoe was used for just about a full season of training and competition at the NACs and Junior Olympics before being retired in favor of the Nike Ballestras.

The Asics make a decent shoe if you’re on a budget. The Asics have been reported to work out fine as a fencing shoe, but their durability is suspect on rough metal strips. Older models have actually had the gel come out of the sole after extremely intense use on metal strips! They’re reported to be a bit heavier than other shoes in their class.

The Stabil has received the rave reviews from fencers on the forums, but the entire series has been pretty well received. These are a staple in the epee fencing community. The wide foot base and thin sole (relative to other court shoes) allow for a good “feeling” of the strip and fast direction changes.

Typical review quote (for the Stabil Vs): “These shoes, in one word, rock. I will never again use a traditional fencing shoe. Good cushion, etc, and they’ve suffered 1 year of heavy usage on “cheesegrater” aluminum strips without complaint. I replace the insoles about every 6 months, but other than that, no upkeep. I love these things”

(Power Cushion SHB-101 LX model) – well-cushioned for those explosive moves. They have grippy soles. They have great lateral support and sufficient toe protection. They’re reported to be a pretty good shoe if you can find them.

Shoes to Avoid:

Any “fencing” shoe made by a major fashion designer.

There are “fencing” shoes out there by some major designers. When you take a look at them, they resemble fencing shoes and that’s because they are fashion (read: walking about town) shoes that were inspired by the sport of fencing.

There is absolutely nothing in the shoe designed to hold up to athletic performance or usage. Wear them out on the town, but take them off in the fencing club.

Wrestling shoes.

Friends don’t let friends fence in wrestling shoes.

Some misguided souls take a look at wrestling shoes and say “hey, that’s *really* low to the ground, I’ll really feel the strip in those” and they get them. A couple of weeks later they’re complaining about foot, knee, and lower back pain.

Wrestling shoes are made to be used when competing on a 2 inch thick mat. Nothing about that says “durability on a strip” or “heel cushioning for a lunge.” Avoid wrestling shoes at all cost. If you see someone at your fencing club suited up to fence and wearing wrestling shoes, put them in a 3/4 nelson, pin them to the floor, and make them go put on something suitable.

Other things to get:

Once you have your fencing shoes, you may need to go ahead and get a few upgrades. Things that we’ve found useful over the years:

Hard heel cup. The hard heel cup is a hard plastic heel insert. Use these for your front foot. What the hard heel cup does is keeps your heel from flattening out during the lunge, allowing your heel’s fat pad to do more work in cushioning the blow of the lunge. The Nike shoes have a hard heel cup integrated into the design, but if you have a tendency to get a bruised heel, go ahead and get one. They’re about $5.00 from most fencing equipment retailers.

Avoid the soft gel heel cups. They raise the height of your heel in the shoe, plus the grip on your sock, which means you’re a lot more likely to put holes in your socks while fencing.

Cushion insoles. On lower end shoes like the AF and Blue Gauntlet house brands, spending another $15 to $20 on cushion insole will make you feel a lot better towards the end of the day during your fencing tournaments. Check out the SoftSol inserts and get the one that has a good heel strike and protection for the ball of the foot. They make several models matching up with different foot-impact styles.

Comments

Nice article. I have been fencing for 23 years and have owned 4 pairs of fencing shoes: French Adidas lasted 8 years, Zin-Kins lasted 2 months, German Adidas lasted 13 years and I just purchased a pair of Adidas D’Artagnion II’s off clearance. I swear by the Adidas, the only time I didn’t, I really paid for it. Shoe feel is very individual, but they quality in the Adidas has always been exceptional in my experience.

I have New Balance’s 871 (http://www.shopnewbalance.com/newbalanceWX871SP.htm) and I love them! Though they are not technically “fencing shoes” I like the feel of them better than any fencing shoe I have tried and I know several other fencers who use the 871 also. The pictures on the website make them appear much thicker and chunkier than they really are so don’t be put off by that.

-I fence three or so times a week on a variety of surfaces (inside, outside, gym floors, wood, concrete, and on a piste) and they have performed very well.
-The durability is great.
-They have a low profile.
-The grip is second to none, I haven’t slipped or slid once even on dirty floors.
-They are lightweight but have a solid construction.
-They have a gel cushioned sole which absorbs the impact really well (I fence epee and saber.)
-They are built up on the outside of the toe box where your foot drags when you lunge.

If I didn’t know better I would say they had been designed as fencing shoes. I love them and as a woman I love being able to get a fit that requires no conversion and no guessing.

“Another thing to keep in mind with fencing shoes is that they are made in men’s sizes only. This creates issues for the women in the sport since you’ll have to do some conversions to get from a women’s foot/shoe size to pick out the appropriate men’s size. This is mainly due to the size of fencing as a sport.”

No, this is because you have such a stupid shoe sizing system in USA. Use another system = problem solved.

Great to have this summary in one place. I’m going to post a link to my club’s online group.

On the point about no shoes in women’s sizes, I think both the author and the commentor miss the real issue. The problem with no-women’s-sizes isn’t merely the bothered to make a simple numeric conversion.

Women’s shoes are made to fit women’s feet which, on average, are narrower than men’s at the same length. A men’s medium width (what most men wear and the only width all these fencing shoes come in) is a women’s wide (a D width in US sizing). Women’s medium (what most women wear) is a B in US sizing, two widths narrower than a men’s medium.

Women with wider than average feet may find men’s shoes fit. Bully for them. But the rest of us, that is most women with average width feet, are not being served by the existing marketplace.

There is a big enough market of female fencers that uniform manufacturers make women’s uniforms. We’re not wearing men’s jackets (huge shoulders), men’s knickers (no hips), or flat manplate chest protectors (painful to think). Time for some shoes already.

For 40 years I have found it necessary to put high-quality replacement insoles in my fencing shoes, so I’m not interested in adding that cost to $100-160 for “fencing shoes”. I buy cross-trainers, which go on sale for $35. Over the past 20 years I have found that Avia cross-trainers are light, have excellent support, and hold up well to 2-3 training sessions per week plus a competition per month. After 12-18 mos., I get new fencing shoes, and the old ones become my daily sneakers. At the last reboot, just for the fun of it, I got New Balance cross-trainers. They’ve been working fine. I use SuperFeet athletic (green) insoles, which are really OTC orthotics.

For any of the “cheap” shoes I’d end up spending another $20 per season on some of the SofSol inserts with the really good heel strike and just transfer my hard plastic heel cup from the old shoe to the new shoe.

With the LP and Nike models I was able to do away with the extra insert.

For the most part I don’t like the cross trainers or the other court shoes – they feel too thick at the sole for me.

I am fairly new to fencing and could not find an affordable pair of shoes that were wide enough–everything seems to run pretty narrow in the fencing shoe world. I ended up getting a pair of Adidas Samba indoor soccer shoes. They are okay for me but I’d like to find a fencing shoe that is comfortable.

I’ve been through a lot of shoes due to my size and the amount of fencing I do. Ultimately, my feet are happiest in some form of low profile court shoe. The increased cushioning is worth the price of the slightly higher sole. I used to wear Head squash shoes, but the model I liked went out of production. Right now, I’m using ASICS GEL-Domain 2 Men’s court shoes and my feet are pretty happy: they grip well, cushion well, the sole shape is favorable for fencing and are supportive.

On the conventional fencing shoe side, I have found the Estoc and Viktoria high top shoes to be very comfortable and supportive. The Viktorias have the edge on the Estocs for grip. They would be my regular shoe, but they are just too difficult to buy.

PBT stopped making a great shoe: light, gum rubber sole and decent cushioning. I haven’t tried any of their other ones.

My feet never liked Adidas. I’ve used their Adidas Adistar ’96 High Top and their Adidas Adistar 2004 High Tops. The 2004s fell apart and the 96s just never fit right but were beautifully made.

Great info in this article. Since my daughter has been playing college tennis I have not been able to figure out what shoe to get for her. There are no true fencing supply stores here in my state. I have to resort to guessing what shoes will fit her best. Price is and isn’t an issue, let me explain. I’d rather buy one pair that are comfortable and that last rather than buying 2 or 3 other pair that wear out fast. If the cheaper pair are better- fine. If the more expensive ones feel and last longer then you are money ahead. Each shoe fits and feels different and you never know unless you actually can try them on and walk around some with them. I wish there was a better way to figure out what shoes fit better and that would last longer. A big difference between $175 and $50.